Fool Proof Scones

This recipe is perfect for you if you've tried to bake scones and they turned out like hockey pucks. The extra baking power ensures they rise and are light and fluffy.

500 g self-raising flour
1 egg
1½ cups milk
1 tablespoon icing sugar
2 rounded teaspoons baking powder
60 g melted butter
Cup of raisins (Optional)

Also
A beaten egg or milk to glaze the top on the scones
Some granulated sugar to sprinkle on the top of the scones to give a sweet crunch.



Sift dry ingredients into a mixing bowl.



Add beaten egg, milk and butter.



Quickly combine all ingredients into a dough.



Stand dough on a floured board for 20 minutes.



Gently roll out to required thickness (about 2 cm) and Cut out circles or squares which ever is your preference using the rim of a glass dipped in flour or a pastry cutter.



Stand scones close together on a lightly floured baking tray for a further 15 minutes. Brush the tops with the beaten egg or milk and sprinkle with sugar.



Bake at 210°C for 10 minutes.




Hope you enjoy

Paul

Classic Soda Bread

My Dads Soda Bread Recipe

Who doesn't love Soda Bread. This is my Dads recipe and its so simple to Mae but tastes hearty and reminds you why it's so much better to bake your own Bread every now and then.

Ingredients:
450g/1lb Cream/Plain Flour
1 level teaspoon Bread Soda
2 level teaspoons Bextartar
Good pinch of Salt
1 tablespoon Sugar
25g/1oz Margarine
A little over 1/2 pint Fresh Milk

Method:
Sieve flour, bread soda, Bextartar and salt into a bowl. Add sugar if required.




Rub in the margarine to resemble breadcrumbs, lifting mixture with fingertips to introduce air to the dough.



Add milk and mix to make a soft dough and turn onto a lightly floured board and knead a little.



Turn the smooth side up and shape into a round.



Place the dough on a floured tin.Cut a cross over the top.



Bake in a pre-heated oven, 400°F/200°C/Gas 6 for 40-45 minutes.
When baked the underneath when "tapped" should have a hollow sound.
Cool on a wire tray. Cover with a tea towel to give a soft crust.

Variations:
A hand full of raisins may be added to the dry ingredients before adding the milk; this will give a nice Station Bread!

Enjoy
Paul

CockTail Time! - Mojito

It's Mojito Time!

This is a recipe for Mojito I've used for a while now and it seems to go down well at parties. I scaled  the recipe for one serving, but you can adjust it accordingly and make a Jug full if you prefer. It's a very refreshing drink for hot summer days. Tonic water can be substituted instead of the soda water but the taste is different and somewhat bitter. Mojito's are delicious and are very easy to drink but pack a big alcohol punch that creeps up on you. You have been warned!

You will need:

9/10 fresh mint leaves.
1/2 lime cut in to wedges.
1 cup of ice cubes.
2 tablespoons of Sugar or to taste.
1 and 1/2 fluid ounces of White Rum.
1/2 cup of Club Soda (Tonic water if you cant find Club Soda)

Place mint leaves and 1 lime wedge into a sturdy glass. Use a muddler (or long spoon) to crush the mint and lime to release the mint oils and lime juice. Add 2 more lime wedges and the sugar, and muddle again to release the lime juice. Do not strain the mixture. Fill the glass almost to the top with roughly crushed Ice. Pour the rum over the ice, and fill the glass with Soda water. Stir, taste, and add more sugar if desired. Garnish with the remaining lime wedge and enjoy!

Polenta Fries- Tastier than you think!

Who knew Polenta could taste so good. These are a good option for your friends who have a gluten intolerance, but heck I eat them just for Fun!2

You will need 18oz of plain polenta, it looks like a big block of cheese.
2 Tbsp olive oil
Course salt and freshly ground pepper
1 tsp dried dried oregano or chilli pepper if your feeling adventerous

Preheat over to 180C degrees.

 Unwrap the Polenta and cut into chunky chip size shapes.

 

Drizzle olive oil on a large rimmed baking sheet. Place polenta chips on baking sheet; season with salt and pepper, and turn gently to coat with oil. Arrnage wedges in a single layer.

Bake, turning once with a thin metal spatula, until golden and crisp, 45-50 minutes. Drain on a paper-towel-lined plate. Transfer to a shallow dish, and toss with Italian seasoning before serving.

Enjoy

Mona !

This is Mona the latest addition to the McGovern-Flores family .

Ghost of Titanic

On a recent trip to Belfast I stopped off at the new Titanic expo. Opposite the shinny new building sits the abandoned shell of the Drawing Room where Titanic was brought to life.. I took this photo thru a hole in the frosted window. I love that the reflection of the new titanic building is caught in the reflection on the glass.

Ok so it's a Cup Cake!

Ok! Ive avoided doing cup cakes for so long because the world and its mother makes cup cakes. but I like gadgets and I found some cool little silicone press forms to make marzipan flowers. They seemed perfect as a topping for cup cakes, so cup cakes it is!

for this you will need

200g of plan flour,
200g of castor sugar,
100g unsalted butter
2 tsp of baking power.
1/2 tsp of salt

3 eggs
150ml of Milk
1 tsp of Vanilla Essence

For the topping
Whipped Cream
Two tbs of Sugar
Half tsp of Red Coloring

Mix the first 5 ingredients in a bowl until they combine to the consistency of breadcrumbs.

 whisk the eggs, milk and vanilla  until combined then slowly add the flour and sugar mixture gradually.

 Pour in to a jug to make it easier to fill your cup cake cases. remember its a sponge mixture so it will rise a little. place in the oven at 180 for about 20-25 minutes.. but to be honest you will know from the color and if u skewer them the  skewer will come out clean when ready.

 Roll out some store bought icing (life's too short to make your own!)

 using the template cutter that comes with the form press cut out the shape ready for your mold.

 Position the icing shape on the mould.

 Press firmly the two sides of the mold together

 Once released you should have a pretty delicate edible flower.

 

Once released from the mold you can use food coloring to pain or like i did sprinkle with a little edible glitter.

Whip some Sugar and Cream together adding the tiniest drop of red food color to make a luxurious topping and decorate with your hand made flowers.

Enjoy!